Eggplant Grilled Cheese

Breakfast

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This middle eastern grilled cheese is filled with oozing jarlsberg cheese, melted over slices of grilled eggplant, cherry tomatoes and slathered in yemenite green hot sauce and tahini.

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Gather the Ingredients

– ⅓ cup olive oil – 1 small eggplant – 1 pint cherry tomatoes – 2 slices of jarlsberg cheese per grilled cheese sandwich

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Gather the Ingredients

– 1 tablespoon zaatar – 2 slices of your favourite bread per grilled cheese sandwich gluten-free bread works great!

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Gather the Ingredients

Yemenite hot sauce (schug): – 2-3 jalapeno peppers – ⅓ cup diced cilantro – 3 garlic cloves – 1 teaspoon cumin

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Gather the Ingredients

Yemenite hot sauce (schug): – pinch of cardamom – 1 teaspoon salt – ½ teaspoon of black pepper

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Gather the Ingredients

Tahini sauce: – 4 tablespoon tahini paste – 2 tablespoon water – ¼ lemon juice of – salt & pepper to taste

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Grill eggplant slices: Slice eggplant into rounds or slices (depending on the size of your bread).

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Bring a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of oil. Arrange as many eggplant slices as a you can fit in a single layer, without overlapping, in the pan.

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Bring a non-stick pan to medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of oil. Arrange as many eggplant slices as a you can fit in a single layer, without overlapping, in the pan.

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Fry eggplant until both sides are browned, flipping in the middle, about 8-10 minutes in total. Remove eggplant slices onto a paper towel-covered plate, and sprinkle with salt. – Repeat until all eggplant slices are cooked, adding 2-3 tablespoons of oil with every batch.

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Prepare tahini sauce: In a blender or a jar, mix raw tahini with water, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir, shake or blend well to combine. You should end up with a slightly runny, thick tahini sauce.

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Make Yemenite hot sauce (schug) Put all the schug ingredients in a food processor with a steel blade and process to a smooth mash. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.

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Assemble grilled cheese: on one piece of bread, spread a generous layer of tahini. Lay one slice of Jarlsberg cheese.

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Top with a few rounds or slices of grilled eggplant, a few halves of cherry tomatoes, and a sprinkling of zaatar spice. Top with another slice or two of Jarlsberg cheese.

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Smear the next slice of bread with some Yemenite hot sauce. Top the sandwich with the second slice of bread, and press to seal.

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Smear bread with butter or olive oil on both sides. Cook in a panini press or in the same hot pan you cooked the eggplant, about 3-4 minutes per side, until the Jarlsberg cheese is melted and gooey.

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Serve eggplant grilled cheese immediately with additional Yemenite hot sauce and tahini for dipping. Mixing the tahini and Yemenite hot sauce also works really well!

ENJOY!